Super Plastic Forming

Accudyne Engineering & Equipment Company is an industry leader in the design, development and manufacturing of press systems utilizing SuperPlastic Forming (SPF) technology.

Traditionally, fabrication of complex sheet metal components involves an intricate combination of cutting, grinding, stretching and matching rough shaped component elements with final assembly often requiring welding, riveting, and various other fastening methods. Today, a much more affordable alternate manufacturing solution is to use near-net shape processes such as SuperPlastic Forming (SPF) or Hot Forming (HF).

Superplastic Forming is a process by which extremely complex parts are produced from a single sheet of superplastic material. Superplasticity is the ability of material to undergo extreme elongation allowing for deep drawn, intricate shapes. Several Titanium alloys are superplastic, as are many specially formulated aluminum, stainless steel and Inconel alloys. In the SPF process, a sheet of material is placed into a hot open die and heated to the superplastic temperature (typically 1750°F for titanium alloys and 975°F for aluminum alloys). The die is closed, and a relatively low gas pressure is applied at a controlled rate to fully form the complex part geometry. The high forming temperatures inherent in the SPF process effectively stress relieves the finished formed parts

• Down-Acting and Up-Acting constructions, the press frame working area is fully enclosed by retractable, insulated heat shields providing full access both front and rear.
• Operating temperatures up to 1800°F.
• Heated platen material options include metallic (RA330/333, Supertherm) or ceramic (fused silica), both with multi-zone temperature profiling for optimum uniformity and control.

• Precise control of closing speeds, position set points, gas pressure forming set-points and ramp rates.

• Systems can be equipped with custom engineered material handling solutions such as automated lower platen shuttles for ease of part removal and tooling changes.
• Computer control systems are available to provide advanced features including data collection, process variable archiving and real-time trending, process development and database, and manufacturing engineering network interfaces.

• Process control systems integrate proportional control valves for programmable gas forming rates, precision position control and hydraulic pressure ramp rates.
• All Accudyne press systems are OSHA compliant and manufactured to all recognized national industrial codes and standards.